'Legends of Tomorrow' recap: 'Amazing Grace'

This week on Legends of Tomorrow, the team discover the sixth totem and helps get Elvis’s career back on track in the 1950s.

Previously on Legends of Tomorrow, the team learned more about Mallus and his powers relating to the totems and time. Also, the Legends rescued Ray from the Darhk’s.

“Amazing Grace” opens on a shop in Memphis, Tennessee in 1950. A young Elvis Presley walks in with his savings to buy a guitar. Elvis tries to put out a particular guitar, but the shopkeeper says the guitar is cursed. Elvis convinces the man to let him try the instrument. While he plays, the lights go haywire and the shopkeeper tells him to take the guitar.

In the present day, Zari shows Wally around the Waverider and tells him about the chore wheel. Zari says life on the ship is not just saving the world, and Wally cleans up the room in a flash. She shows him her room and he speeds to get his stuff since they will be sharing for a while. Zari finds out Wally already broke her high scores on a video game and is annoyed. She picks up Guitar Hero for them to play, but the game is now Trombone Hero.

In the kitchen, Ray walks in to find Rory with his pet rat Axel. Ray reminds him not to have the rat in the kitchen while Rory rummages through the fridge. He looks fondly at his rat, but notices the name is now Josh Groban on the rat’s bowl.

Sara talks to Nate and Amaya about the latest anachronisms, reminding them as they flirt that they need to fix the anachronisms to defeat Mallus. Sara notes Nate’s hair looks weird and the others come in at the same time, asking Gideon who changed the names of the rat and game. Gideon tells them there was a change in the 1950s. Ray reads the information, saying Memphis was deserted after mass hysteria broke out in the summer of 1954. Elvis was the last man standing and ended up with severe mental health issues and was hospitalized. Nate realizes that must be what changed everything because of Elvis’s influence on rock ‘n’ roll. Sara then tells the group to get ready to go to church.

The Legends arrive in 1954 Memphis and go to Elvis's Uncle Lucious’s church. The congregation looks at them strangely, not surprisingly given that everyone else there is white and it is the ‘50s. Ray says to keep Rory away from the collection tray and the communion wafers, but he is already eating the wafers and spits them out. Lucious starts preaching against rock ‘n’ roll before inviting Elvis to play for the church. His mother reminds him to keep it “godly” and the girls in the church giggle when he goes to sing. Elvis sings an old Christian hymn.

During the performance, Zari suddenly rises in the air as her totem activates. The congregation is scared and the preacher is convinced it is an act of Satan. The Legends get outside safely and Zari tells them her totem reacted to another in the room, especially at Elvis and his guitar.

Returning to the Waverider, the team discusses what to do about Elvis’s totem. Nate wants to make Elvis a member of the gang. They think the totem must be a musical totem, which makes Ray excited. Sara declares they need to get the totem and Wally speeds away and brings the whole guitar back. They decide to replicate the guitar for Elvis because he still needs to record his music and become a famous singer.

Nate and Amaya go to put Elvis’s new guitar back and watch him perform. Nate gushes about music and wants to help Amaya find whatever music speaks to her personally. Elvis has some issues when he starts to play and leaves the stage. The two Legends pose as music managers and ask what went wrong. Elvis says he usually feels his dead twin brother on stage with him when he plays that guitar.

Back on the Waverider, Sara and Ray tinker with the totem attached to the guitar. It activates and Gideon says something paranormal is happening. The two then see the ghost of Elvis’s brother Jesse, who manages to steal the totem. The guitar rushes through the ship and knocks over Rory and Axel’s cage. The others come in and Wally tries to wrestle the guitar away from the ghost.

Elvis continues to tell the others about the brother he never knew. Nate steps away to call the others and tells them about Jesse. Elvis says he has a recording appointment the next day and Nate assures him that they will help.

Meanwhile, Sara tells Jesse’s ghost to stop and that they know Elvis. The guitar flies to her hands. She contacts Constantine and he sends her information he found. The totem is the death totem, which gives its bearer power over the dead. Amaya and Nate get back to the ship and he says Elvis needs the totem. Amaya and Sara disagree, but Nate gives an impassioned plea and wins in the end.

Nate and Amaya watch Elvis record his first song. After his uncle shows up, steals the record, and somehow gets Elvis and the couple arrested. Nate contacts Zari and Wally, who say they will get the record from the preacher and get it to the radio station. Wally says he can just speed in and get the record, but Zari says working on cases in time is different. Sometimes they need to talk to people to figure out how to fix things. Nate talks to Elvis about needing to take the guitar because it has powers.

As Rory starts to eat a sandwich, he notices Axel the rat dead on the floor. Ray sees and tries to cheer him up. Ray gets Sara and Rory together and has a memorial service for Axel the rat. He gives a touching speech and Sara adds on to it while Rory wipes away a tear.

Zari and Wally go to talk to Elvis’s Uncle Lucious. Wally manages to talk the preacher into giving them the record it by sharing a story. Wally rushes the record to the station and Zari turns on the radio in the church. The townspeople listen and are energized by Elvis’s music. Wally rushes back and joins Zari in dancing with the others in the church. As they dance, ghosts rise from the church’s cemetery. The ghosts come into the church and the two Legends try and protect the churchgoers.

On Waverider, Axel’s box starts moving and they discover Axel’s ghost. The ghost rat then rushes away. Later, Rory tries to feed ghost Axel, but the ghost fades away.

Back in the jail, the group hears the ghosts while listening to Elvis’s song play. The cop lets them out and tells them ghosts have overrun the town. Elvis uses the guitar and the death totem sends the ghost back. They go to the church and Elvis takes the stage, speaking directly to the ghosts. He tells them to come in and then plays the song "Amazing Grace." The ghosts start disappearing when they get to Elvis and the totem. Nate and Amaya dance to the music. Amaya tells Nate this is their music moment and the two kiss. Elvis sees his brother’s ghost and thanks him before he fades.

Nate and Elvis have a nice moment together and the singer gives over the death totem before going to another recording session. Back on the Waverider, the group talks about the Darhk’s and the totems. Ray has all the collected totems locked up in encrypted boxes. Later, Amaya shares some Zambesi music with Nate. She tells him she loves him while he has headphones on and cannot hear her. The episode ends with the totem lock box opening.

This was a silly episode of Legends of Tomorrow. The main story needed work, mainly Elvis, his uncle, and Nate’s obsession with music. Also despite being focused on Elvis and being in the 1950s, they barely touched on race. Overall this is one of my least favorite episodes; that said, I liked parts of this episode. Axel’s service was fantastic, Zari being fed up with Wally, and Wally’s overeagerness to prove he can be helpful were fun. Ray reminiscing about meeting Axel when he was shrunken in his suit and Axel tried to eat him was great.

Legends of Tomorrow airs Monday nights at 8 p.m. on The CW. Check out the preview for the next episode below.